


flowers of hope

by yellowcurtqins



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Begin Again by Taylor Swift, Cyrus' POV, First Date, First Kiss, Handholding, M/M, WALLOWS kjsdbs, guitar&pianoguy!tj, in a cafe, inspired by a taylor swift song - Freeform, they fall in love QUICK bc yanno the gays move fast, tj is a better boyfriend than reed ever was, whipped cyrus, whipped tj
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-21 00:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowcurtqins/pseuds/yellowcurtqins
Summary: On a Wednesday, in a cafe, he watched it begin again.OREight months after the end of a serious, toxic relationship, Cyrus gives love another chance.





	flowers of hope

𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧  
𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨  
𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙞 𝙙𝙤  
𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣  
𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜  
𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙞 𝙙𝙤, 𝙞 𝙙𝙤

Eight months. That’s how long it’s been since I gave up on Reed, since he walked out the door of my apartment with that look on his face, that look of judgement that was painted on his lips whenever he saw me. That’s how long it’s been since I believed in people. And, even then, those beliefs, those chances I was willing to give, were thin like the wings of a butterfly. 

As I pull on my heeled boots, Reed’s voice echoes through my mind. I’m not quite sure how I remember the exact notes of his voice, the specific tones and whispers and the hum that escaped his throat when he spoke. I wish I could forget the way he lowered his face the night I broke up with him, the way he got so close that our noses touched, the way his voice dropped as he said I would never find someone else who loved me. 

It’s taken me eight months to challenge that statement. My phone chimes on my bed, lighting up at the notification. I smile just barely as I read the name on the screen. I open my phone, my eyes skimming over the words written. 

𝐓𝐉: walked here early. ordered your favorite :)

𝐂𝐲𝐫𝐮𝐬: And, how do you know my favorite drink?

𝐓𝐉: you ordered it once & i promised myself i would remember it in case you ever gave me a chance

My face heats up, lips rising at the corners. He remembered. Reed never remembered my favorite things, having to ask me even after a year. I feel something glow in my chest. It’s a new feeling. Hope, maybe. It’s nice. I want more of it. 

𝐂𝐲𝐫𝐮𝐬: Just for that, you deserve every chance.

𝐓𝐉: i hope you know that the chance of being with you is once in a lifetime

No one has ever said something like that to me before. I throw on a sweater from my closet, slipping my phone into my pocket and putting in my headphones. I smile as Wrabel’s voice falls into my ears. As I walk from my apartment, I can’t help feeling like today could change something for me. Today might be a new beginning. 

𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚  
𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙫𝙚  
𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪  
𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣  
𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨  
𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙞 𝙙𝙤

The morning air is coated with honey, scents of flowers and dewey grass dripping from the air. I breathe it in, inhale the peace and the music that floats within it. As I near the cafe, the smell of spring mixes with the aromas of muffins and pastries and coffee, and I decide that today is my favorite perfume. Hope is my favorite scent.

The bell chimes as I open the door, and there he is. TJ waves from the table that he chose for us, standing up to greet me. He has this smile on his face, one of anticipation and awe and care. I knew he was here already, and yet, as I stare at him, I’m filled with relief. I remove my headphones, putting them in my pocket. My shoulders feel lighter as I move toward him, heels clicking quietly on the floor of the cafe. 

He settles me into my chair, a boyish grin plastered on his lips as he sits across from me. I’m caught off guard by the green of his eyes behind his glasses, by the way they seem to light up, the way they crinkle at the corners as he smiles. I’ve never really looked at them, not in the month I’ve known him. I open my mouth, and he opens his, and we speak at the same time.

“Hi,” we say. I duck my head, blushing at the small chuckle that tumbles between his lips. It’s been a while since I’ve had a first date. I look up at him, caught up once again in the green behind his long eyelashes.

“You have really pretty eyes,” I blurt, covering my mouth as I realize that saying that was probably not the best starting point of a conversation. Did I weird him out? I probably weirded him out. 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘊𝘺𝘳𝘶𝘴. “Sorry, that was kinda weird, I—”

“No, no,” he interrupts, laughing a small laugh at my attempt to cover up what I had said. He grabs my hand over the table, successfully shutting me up. “That was really sweet, thank you.” His eyes soften at the embarrassment painted across my cheeks. “Your eyes are pretty, too, Cyrus.” I blush at the way my name sounds in his mouth, a grin breaking out on my lips. 

I open the paper bag next to my drink, my eyes lighting up as I pull out a chocolate chocolate chip muffin. TJ smiles at the excitement glowing from me, a dusty pink sprinkling onto his cheeks when I squeeze his hand. “Thank you, Teej,” I say. The gentle look in his eyes is beautiful, is unlike any expression Reed has ever given me. I decide that I would give up any amount of chocolate chocolate chip muffins to see the flustered grin on his face one more time. 

𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙙  
𝙞 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞’𝙢 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮 ‘𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙙  
𝙞’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨  
𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙙  
𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙚, 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

We’ve been in this cafe for hours, and I still feel like I have a million things to talk to TJ about. We joke like old friends, and, for a moment, I forget that I’ve only known him since February. I joke about my inability to do a somersault, and he tilts his head back, a full laugh escaping his lips. He studies my eyes, his own crinkling with his smile. 

There’s a softness within the green as I talk about my 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘖𝘧 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘊𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘋𝘰™, a gentle aura of acceptance that I’m unfamiliar with. TJ giggles as I crack jokes, adds onto them until we’re clutching our stomachs, shaking with laughter. We can’t stop, can’t breathe, and I can’t remember the last time I felt this way. I’m not sure I ever have. 

TJ snorts, just a little, and I wish I could memorize the sound. It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful. Through teary eyes, I take in the way his messy blonde hair curls, the way his eyes sparkle, the way his smile reaches his ears. It’s amazing that I’m the one who caused that. I never want to stop being the reason for that laugh. 

Our laughter dies down after a bit, and he takes a deep breath. He opens his mouth, a smile immediately finding its way out as he meets my eyes. I smile back, unable not to. His hand finds mine again. 

“What kind of music do ya’ like, Cy?” he inquires, and I almost ask him how he knew that was my favorite question. Instead, I ask him, “Wanna hear some?” and he nods, his teeth showing through his grin. I take my phone out, connecting my headphones and giving him one of them. The way his lips turn up at James Taylor’s voice makes me want to get down on one knee right now. 

𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 [𝙗𝙤𝙮]  
𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙟𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪  
𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙞 𝙙𝙤  
𝙬𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙮  
𝙞’𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙮  
𝙗𝙪𝙩, 𝙞 𝙙𝙤

We talk about music, talk about James Taylor, talk about how he’s been playing piano since he was three years old, guitar since he was seven. I tease him when he confesses that he knows all of Taylor Swift’s songs by heart on the guitar, and he tells me that I won’t be so quick to make fun of him when he’s serenading me.

“And, when will that be?” I ask, reveling in the little smirk that TJ gives me.

“Today, if you want me to,” he responds, playing with my fingers over the table. I do want him to. 

“That sounds cool,” I tell him, watching as his shoulders relax. It confuses me that he’s afraid of being rejected by me, of all people. Reed was always the one that did the rejecting, chipping away at me in fragments. I’m not used to being important. 

“You seem kinda shy, Goodman,” TJ observes. I shrug. “I wanna hear about you. I wanna know you, Cy.”

So, I tell him. I tell him stories of my childhood, my adolescence, my adulthood, little things I like, little things I don’t. I tell him stories of when I tried to learn how to play the piano, brightening as he laughs at the perfect moments, grins at me when he thinks I’m not looking. His eyes never leave me, his attention never goes away. 

“I’m gonna teach you how to play the piano,” he declares, and I blush, my face turning red at the realization that he wants me in his life. I’m glad; I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone in my life more than TJ Kippen. It scares me, because I’m pretty sure I feel more at home with him than I ever did with Reed. 

I tilt my head back up to look at him, and his eyes are already on me, and there’s this look within them, this look of gentle hope, of warmth, and something else that I can’t quite place yet, but I think I feel the same way. 

“Wanna go get serenaded?” I smile, standing up and offering TJ my hand. He presses our palms together, tangling our fingers, and 𝘰𝘩. Our hands fit perfectly together. I doubt I’ve ever found a more perfect fit in anything in my life. I’m pretty sure I’d be content holding his hand for the rest of my life. 

We walk to the exit, and I smile as he holds the door for me. As we walk outside in the midday spring air, he swings our arms between us, his calloused thumb stroking my knuckle. I grip his arm lightly with my free hand, letting my fingers run across the soft gray of the cotton shirt he’s wearing. I rest my head on his shoulder, almost losing my breath when he turns his head, pressing his lips to my brown hair. 

And, suddenly, the flower of hope in my chest has bloomed into a garden.

𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙧  
𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙪𝙥 𝙗𝙪𝙩  
𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨  
𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩  
𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩

I open the passenger seat to my beat-up Honda Civic, jokingly escorting TJ into the car. He laughs, responding with a, “thank you, good sir,” and watches as I run around to the driver’s seat. We buckle our seatbelts, and I get the car started.

“So, where to?” I ask, turning to him. He grins, giving my his address and waiting as I type it into the GPS. Wallows sounds over the speakers of the car. He looks at me with this astounded expression on his face, his eyes shining with excitement. 

We sing along to 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯, lose ourselves to 𝘐𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘭. I’m about to comment about how Reed always made me change the music when I turned on Wallows, but TJ starts talking about Christmas movies, and all the sudden, Reed is gone from my mind. I reach over the console, grabbing his hand and watching as his face grows red. And, once again, I let myself think about how adorable he is. 

As I pull up to his apartment building, he brings my hand up to his lips, kissing each of my fingers, and then turning our hands over so he can press a kiss to the back of mine. I stop caring about how in love I already look, letting myself stare softly at him. As I watch him, I realize that I believe in people again, that I might be starting to believe in 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 again. 

And, as the garden grows in my chest, I begin to forget that it had ever been gone.

‘𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙙  
𝙞 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞’𝙢 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙮 ‘𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙙  
𝙞’𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨  
𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙙  
𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

We stroll up to his apartment, joking and laughing as if we’ve known each other for years. As TJ unlocks his door, he sticks his tongue out a little bit, focusing. The sight makes me smile wider than I knew something as small as that could possibly make me smile. 

He finally gets the door open, pulling me with him as he runs into the apartment. After grabbing me some water, TJ practically drags me into his living room, lightly pushing me down so I’m sitting on his couch. 

“Stay here,” he says, the look of excitement on his face causing the corners of my mouth to tug upward into a smile. It amazes me what I would do for this guy, for this look in his eyes. 

“Where else would I go?” I tease, and he snorts. For a moment, I revel in the effect that I have on him.

“Shut up,” he whines playfully, turning to go grab something. I stop him.

“Oh and, TJ?” he looks back at me. 

“Yeah, Cy?” I pull him down, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Nothin’,” I answer. He giggles, a giddy smile on his lips. I would tease him for it, but I’m pretty sure my smile matches. He runs into the other room, coming back with his guitar. It’s beautiful, the wood shiny and clean. It’s clear how well he cares for it, and the idea warms me up.

TJ sits on the arm of the couch, playing the first few notes of 𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. He glances at me, giving me a shy smile. I try to memorize the look in his eyes, the emotion that he puts into the song. I feel my heart swell as he starts to sing the words, and, as he becomes lost in the music, I become lost in him, in his voice, in his eyes. I sway with the words, a grin creeping onto my lips as the song plays on. I think he’s my new beginning. I think he’s the song. 

I watch as he plays. He puts down his guitar right before the last chorus of 𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, and I watch as he stands up, offering his hand to me. He’s humming along as I take his hand. We sway, and he stares into my eyes, memorizing them. He presses our foreheads together, wrapping his arms around my neck as I place my hands on his waist. Before the last line of the song, his lips meet mine. 

The kiss is soft, gentle, loving. His mouth tastes like coffee and mint chapstick and springtime, tastes like hope. I shiver as he places with the short hair at the back of my neck, my heart beating at a thousand miles per minute as he smiles into the kiss. Our lips part, but he simply holds me tighter. 

As my eyes flutter open, I find my home with TJ, swaying silently in the middle of his apartment, our foreheads resting against each other, our noses brushing. I find my home as his lips part, and he sings the last line.

𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙚  
𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed (haha hope!puns!yes!) PLEASE like & comment if u liked it or i'll steal ur kneecaps


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